Production to resume on new DeLorean sports cars

Rep. Gene Green visits with DeLorean CEO Stephen Wynne at the Texas facility where new production is planned. (Photo via Green's Facebook page)

Rep. Gene Green visits with DeLorean CEO Stephen Wynne at the Texas facility where new production is planned. (Photo via Green's Facebook page)

HUMBLE, Texas (FOX News) - DeLorean Motor Company, which specializes in providing parts and restoration services for the iconic gullwing sports cars, has announced plans to begin production of new vehicles as early as next year.

The move comes courtesy of the recently-passed Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturer’s Act of 2015. The law allows small companies to manufacturer up to 250 cars annually without having to meet the same safety standards that the major automakers do. The hitch is that the vehicles have to be replicas of cars that are at least 25 years old. Since the original DMC-12 was sold only from 1981 to 1983, it qualifies. Even if still it looks like it’s from the future.

The Humble, Tex., outfit purchased the leftover stock of the defunct automaker back in the 1990s, and has the rights to use the DeLorean name. Company vice president James Espy tells Fox News that it has millions of parts on hand and also owns the tooling for many of the fiberglass and stainless steel car’s major components, plus 1,000 of the iconic doors, which are among the hardest parts to reproduce.

Espy says that the new cars will hew closely to the originals, but get a few 21st century updates. These include the modern electronics, larger wheels and brakes, and power steering systems. (OK, the last of those isn’t exactly cutting edge, but it wasn’t offered on the cars the first time around.)